:format(webp)/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/67053825/453786628.jpg.0.jpg)
Grant Imahara, the engineer who co-hosted Mythbusters for Discovery and White Rabbit Project on Netflix, has suddenly died at the age of 49. “We are heartbroken to hear this sad news about Grant,” Discovery said in a statement to The Hollywood Reporter and Variety. “He was an important part of our Discovery family and a really wonderful man. Our thoughts and prayers go out to his family.” Imahara died from a brain aneurysm, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
After a career as an engineer at Lucasfilm’s THX and ILM divisions, Imahara joined Mythbusters in the show’s third season, and left in 2014 alongside co-hosts Kari Byron and Tory Belleci; the trio reunited for Netflix’s White Rabbit Project in 2016. He was also active in the robot combat community, regularly appearing on BattleBots in the early 2000s with his robot Deadblow and later returning as a judge. In 2018, Imahara hosted Home of the Future, a web series co-produced by The Verge and Curbed.
I’ve retired from robot combat. My first fighting robot Deadblow was almost 20 years ago in 1999. They made it into a toy and I wrote a book on the subject. #BattleBots pic.twitter.com/4LbxlKlI0v
— Grant Imahara (@grantimahara) April 8, 2018
Grant Imahara has sadly passed away at the age of 49. Imahara was an ILM modeler and animatronics technician who worked on the prequel trilogy. His work included building robots for the films and controlling R2-D2’s movements. May the Force be with you. pic.twitter.com/Uz98lSLNRM
— Star Wars Holocron (@sw_holocron) July 14, 2020
“I’m at a loss,” former Mythbusters co-host Adam Savage said in a tweet. “No words. I’ve been part of two big families with Grant Imahara over the last 22 years. Grant was a truly brilliant engineer, artist and performer, but also just such a generous, easygoing, and gentle PERSON. Working with Grant was so much fun. I’ll miss my friend.” Co-host Kari Byron tweeted: “Somedays I wish I had a time machine.”
I just cannot believe it. I don’t even know what to say. My heart is broken. Goodbye buddy @grantimahara pic.twitter.com/HkLYaBK1dw
— Tory Belleci (@ToryBelleci) July 14, 2020
Heartbroken and in shock tonight. We were just talking on the phone. This isn’t real. pic.twitter.com/8zE2afcwSu
— Kari Byron (@KariByron) July 14, 2020
Grant and I bonded early at ILM and called each other “Doctor” the entire 22 years we knew each other. This photo is from the last job I did at ILM, Terminator 3. A month after it was taken, I started filming MythBusters. Grant would join us two years later. pic.twitter.com/GqoFhWNQDz
— Adam Savage (@donttrythis) July 14, 2020
Everyone at Lucasfilm mourns the passing of Grant Imahara. A beloved colleague at @ILMVFX for many years, and cherished by many more on television, Grant's curiosity, imagination, and heart will remain an inspiration to us all. pic.twitter.com/XhHysWBJz6
— Star Wars (@starwars) July 14, 2020
We are heartbroken to hear this sad news about Grant. He was an important part of our Discovery family and a really wonderful man. Our thoughts and prayers go out to his family. https://t.co/AqiW4zQxD1
— MythBusters (@MythBusters) July 14, 2020
Loading comments...